Mugabe goes for broke
Zimbabwe parliament has approved a number of constitutional amendments that make Zimbabwe officially an outlaw of civil society and will further scare away investors:
The bill has raised serious concerns among human rights groups and the political opposition, who are worried about how the draft puts certain actions of the government beyond the reach of the judiciary.
The government will now, for example, be able to expropriate land without being challenged in court.
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One opposition MP raised the concern that vague wording meant it could affect someone growing cabbages in his back yard.
Another clause will give the government the right to withdraw passports or travel documents, again with no possibility of judicial appeal - opponents of the measure fear that it will be used to keep government critics on a tighter rein.
The changes also reintroduce the Senate, the upper house of parliament that was abolished in 1987. The president will be able to appoint 16 of the 46 senators, in addition to the 30 MPs he already appoints to the lower house. President Robert Mugabe is expected to use this as an opportunity to bring back into parliament certain favoured former MPs and ministers who lost their parliamentary seats in the election earlier this year.
The new bill also includes a proposal to bring private schools under state control.
President Mugabe has repeatedly changed the constitution during his 25 years as Zimbabwe's leader, but the latest changes are the most wide-ranging amendments ever put forward.
Most attention, though, has focused on the clause to deny the right of appeal to farmers whose land has been seized. The government says it will conclude the land question.
The opposition says the move would further undermine property rights, deepening the country's economic crisis.
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